Out of the two article. I think the article that makes the
more effective argument is “Blue Collar Brilliance” by Mike Rose. But first I think
you have to understand and know what blue collar even means; it is defined as of
or relating to manual work or workers, particularly in industry. Blue collar is
labeled brilliant in the title alone and Rose makes the argument that the view
of intelligence cant be measured by the amount of schooling that someone has
completed. It doesn’t matter how long you went to school for or even if you finished.
She gives examples of her mother dropping out of school but being very intelligent
and also her mother’s brother had dropped out of school. Rose suggests that the
blue collar jobs actually require more intelligence then meets the eye and
people assumed blue collar jobs are for uneducated people. He explains how he
observed different types of blue- collar and service workers in action (mom and
brother) and came to the conclusion that each of them have several skills that
takes a lot of mind power to master. And those skills aren’t taught in a
classroom. I personally agree with Rose when he says that the amount of school
someone has completed does not matter, it doesn’t measure their true
intelligence level. Especially in our economy today. Many people cannot
afford to pursue higher education, and that does not mean that they wouldn’t
make excellent doctors or lawyers if they could afford the schooling. So many
smart people but since they don’t have the money they aren’t given the opportunity.
Between the two articles, Why the Rich Are Getting Richer and Blue-Collar Brilliance, I believe the latter article makes the better argument. After reading both and analyzing what the point each author is trying to make I believe it fair to assume the second Article uses less evidence but still uses the evidence more effectively. The point the second article, by Mike Rose, is trying to make is the realization of the effort and thought that goes into blue-collar work. He also states that if we do not acknowledge how intelligence should be based on the thought process that goes into everyday blue-collar work then we are reinforcing the stagnations of society caused by social separations and cultural divides. He makes his claim and reinforces it with the rhetoric of personal accounts and memories of his mother and uncle Joe working two completely different jobs of waitress and automotive foreman. By using these personal examples for his evidence it allows us, the readers, to relate more to the message that we must acknowledge the difference in intelligence based on the difference of our experiences. It allows me to look at it from a zoomed out perspective and see how Uncle Joe may never be book smart or have a high IQ but when it comes to his routine and his trade as a skill he will forever be smarter than I could ever be. By pointing out this parallel of society the author makes his argument effective and relatable which in turn makes the article a better article than the former.
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ReplyDeleteAfter looking at the two readings I also agree with you and think that “Blue Collar Brilliance” is the better source out of the two readings. “Nickled and Dimed” I also thought was a good read but there were many things that the reading was lacking. I thought that it showed a certain aspect and didn’t move any farther than “Hey we’re maids, we’re poor, and we don’t like our crappy job”. Ehrenreich also talks about the training that she received as well. Now, I’m not bashing Ehrenreich or what she said during her writing, I think she gives us a great example but I think it’s not providing enough breadth or depth for us to get an idea of how this “Blue collar” affects her American dream.
I think Rose does a great job in his writing because he provides us this breadth (by showing us more than one example; Rosie at the restaurant, and Joe at GM). I also like that Rose also gives us a short story about himself as well and how his academic career was bumpy. I also like the main idea that Rose tells us about; there are somethings that you just can’t learn in the classroom. I connect that to what my mom would usually say about my grandparents who only had a grade-school education, where she would say that even though they weren’t book smart they should get things done and were “street smart”. I also see this in my sister who’s ranked 10 in her class of over 400, but I see the trade off because she’s not “street smart” as other members of my family. Rose shows us examples about his mom at the restaurant and working with people, and Joe at GM and improving the tools and the management of his people.
Overall, I see Rose’s story that connects to the American dream really well. His mom worked at a restaurant, and his uncle worked at GM, but despite that he was able to be very successful and be a professor at UCLA. That shows to me that if you’re willing to work hard then you should be able to reap the benefits.